One approach is to make him responsible for evaluation and the securing of talent. This is the style most believe is the norm.

A second is to simply assign him the responsibility to secure the talent others have determined they need. This is a reasonable approach when your skills lean toward the accounting rather than the talent evaluation. This is what I believe we have in Rick.

This makes him an acceptable retention with a new coaching change which will simply give him different players to pursue which fit their evaluations of the best players for their system.

Seeing the cap problems the Texans have, if the GM is an accountant then the IRS should be calling soon.

Maybe it's a two year plan. I don't know but I am a little surprised so far.

I think this is likely a 2-3 year plan , much of it depending upon what they do with the QB position.

No sense spending big bucks in FA if you don't have a QB who can at the very least protect the ball and limit mistakes.

Right now , I think they locate a QB this season , allow him to settle in and develop while clearing the cap for the 2015 offseason to make some significant moves. What those moves ultimately are will depend upon what they have at QB , a play maker or a caretaker.

and also depending on if they mortgage any 2014 Dead Money/Contracts and how much they mortgage. The less the better. Short term gain = Long term Pain!

I'm pretty sure the moves, or lack thereof, have explained the Texans stance. Take the the hit now, get it over with and start next season clean. Pretty good stance to take I think. While we probably won't be contenders next season it sure paves a brighter future. Then again, WTH do I know?

I'm pretty sure the moves, or lack thereof, have explained the Texans stance. Take the the hit now, get it over with and start next season clean. Pretty good stance to take I think. While we probably won't be contenders next season it sure paves a brighter future. Then again, WTH do I know?

If you clean the books this yr and have a great draft, but a bad season there are worse scenarios for the future of the Texans.

I'm pretty sure the moves, or lack thereof, have explained the Texans stance. Take the the hit now, get it over with and start next season clean. Pretty good stance to take I think. While we probably won't be contenders next season it sure paves a brighter future. Then again, WTH do I know?

From my point of the view the Texans lack of moves (so far) have been involuntary due to lack of funds. At this point they really have no other option unless they resort to their old bad habits of mortgaging the future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderkyss

I'm slow.

Can you tell me what needs to be cleaned off the books? Be specific.

Specifically, the Texans need to manage their salary cap where they begin a new season with enough salary space to either resign their better free agents or replace them with equal or better talent, WITHOUT, I repeat, WITHOUT having to resort to restructuring contracts or spreading Dead Money to the future. As long as the Texans begin each year without enough salary cap to pay the 53 man roster they're at a competitive and financial disadvantage.

__________________The GREATEST risk is not taking one. ....Bob, hire Eliot Wolf, then get the hell out of the way.

Specifically, the Texans need to manage their salary cap where they begin a new season with enough salary space to either resign their better free agents or replace them with equal or better talent, WITHOUT, I repeat, WITHOUT having to resort to restructuring contracts or spreading Dead Money to the future. As long as the Texans begin each year without enough salary cap to pay the 53 man roster they're at a competitive and financial disadvantage.

So... specifically, which contracts are stopping us from doing that? Which ones do we have to cut this year?

AJ's contract is a killer because they have restructured it so damn may times pushing money forward. 7 years , 67m with ~20.5m or more guaranteed. He will account for almost $16m in cap space this season , 16m next season and 15m in the final year.

One approach is to make him responsible for evaluation and the securing of talent. This is the style most believe is the norm.

A second is to simply assign him the responsibility to secure the talent others have determined they need. This is a reasonable approach when your skills lean toward the accounting rather than the talent evaluation. This is what I believe we have in Rick.

This makes him an acceptable retention with a new coaching change which will simply give him different players to pursue which fit their evaluations of the best players for their system.

Considering the cap as it is now, what makes you think Rick is a more "accounting" type? If that's the case still why not replace him with someone who has a better history of cap management?

I guess ultimately that's what's been so frustrating with Rick and Gary is at the end of the it's like a shell game figuring out who made the call on draft day or who signed off on a FA. Either way at least no one could deny the wheels came flying off last year.

Again my two hopes at this point remain this: one Rick had limited call at the end of the day on the draft and in FA. That with a new hopefully more capable staff the roster can be reshaped fairly quickly. Two, this next year is so bad McNair finally makes the call to sweep the rest of the FO out.

AJ's contract is a killer because they have restructured it so damn may times pushing money forward. 7 years , 67m with ~20.5m or more guaranteed. He will account for almost $16m in cap space this season , 16m next season and 15m in the final year.

One approach is to make him responsible for evaluation and the securing of talent. This is the style most believe is the norm.

A second is to simply assign him the responsibility to secure the talent others have determined they need. This is a reasonable approach when your skills lean toward the accounting rather than the talent evaluation. This is what I believe we have in Rick.

This makes him an acceptable retention with a new coaching change which will simply give him different players to pursue which fit their evaluations of the best players for their system.

I'm totally with you on this viewpoint; at least as it pertains to Smith's working relationship with Kubiak. Now whether Smith's role evolves from the guy who just fetches the players on the coaching staff's "grocery list" into the guy makes - or at least helps - create the grocery list under Bill O'Brien remains to be seen.

is this a "you don't pay running backs that kind of money" bad contract?

Yes but also taking into consideration the Texans are rebuilding the OL implementing a new system which will likely involve most of a season learning curve. It took Alex Gibbs 2 years to fully implement the ZBS and for it to become as successful as it was. In addition I don't have the highest confidence in the Texans new OL Coach, Paul Dunn. Dunn was fired this year by Atlanta because the running game suffered under his tutleage. Dunn's OL gave up 44 Sacks Allowed and ranked in the Top 10 in QB Pressures. It all just makes prudent and responsible sense to me. Cutting/trading Foster after 2014 would only give the Texans $1 million cap relief in 2015 instead of the $9 million gained by doing the same this year.

__________________The GREATEST risk is not taking one. ....Bob, hire Eliot Wolf, then get the hell out of the way.

Yes but also taking into consideration the Texans are rebuilding the OL implementing a new system which will likely involve most of a season learning curve. It took Alex Gibbs 2 years to fully implement the ZBS and for it to become as successful as it was.

You like to only use portions of the facts.

1) the Texans were already a ZBS team when Gibbs got here but were not utilizing the cut block.
2) it didn't take two years for Gibbs to teach it. It took two years for the Texans to find a competent and healthy RB to run behind the OL.
3) you have no idea how extensive any changes may be to the running schemes.